Ted

Ted is an English pet form of Edward or Edmund, both of which are Old English compound names built on the element ead, meaning wealth or fortune. The shift from Ed to Ted followed the medieval English habit of rhyming nicknames, the same process that produced Bill from Will and Bob from Rob. Edward in particular has been borne by numerous English kings, lending Ted a long historical pedigree. The name is also used independently and is sometimes treated as a short form of Theodore, connecting it to the Greek Theodoros, meaning gift of God.